Babysitter charged with sexual abuse of two boys in Ashland

An Ashland babysitter was jailed Thursday on sodomy charges for allegedly sexually abusing two boys under his care.

An Ashland babysitter was jailed Thursday on sodomy charges for allegedly sexually abusing two boys under his care.

Investigators arrested Avery John Simpson, 19, of Medford, on four counts of first-degree sodomy. He was lodged in the Jackson County Jail, where he remained Thursday evening on $4 million bail. Police allege Simpson had been left in charge of two boys, ages 5 and 6, when the crimes occurred. The abuse was reported to Ashland police on Tuesday, and investigators have been working on it since then, police said in a news release.

The investigation led to another victim in Indiana, where Simpson lived prior to moving to Oregon.

Police suspect he might have abused other children, and Ashland detectives are seeking the public's help to identify any additional victims. Simpson has spent time in Medford and Portland in the last two years, police said.

Police ask anyone who knows or suspects that Simpson might have had inappropriate contact with other children to contact their local law enforcement agency.